In the course of many abdominal surgeries, patients will have a large incision across or along a significant part of the abdominal wall. The incision may pass through the supporting fascia, resulting in potential weakening of the abdominal wall. At the conclusion of the surgical operation, the incision is closed with sutures and/or staples. However, after the surgery, the area of the incision can cause significant pain. Further, this closure is typically not as strong, at least initially, as the original, uninterrupted abdominal fascia. Therefore, the region of incision provides a potentially weak area in which the abdominal wall may reopen, a process known as dehiscence, thereby causing pain and potential infection risk to a patient.
After surgery, additional abdominal support may be desirable to reduce pain and prevent dehiscence. One device typically used for abdominal support is an abdominal binder, which includes a flexible piece of cloth or elastic material that can be wrapped snuggly around the abdomen of the patient to provide support to the abdominal wall. Use of such abdominal binders helps to promote earlier ambulation, enhance pulmonary function, and alleviate incisional pain. A variety of different abdominal binders are known in the art. Such binders can be made from a number of different materials and can be secured to the patient's abdomen using a number of mechanisms.
In addition to abdominal binders, surgical patients may also have additional medical instruments that must be carried around for some time after surgery. For example, for some surgical patients it is necessary to provide drainage to a wound to remove fluid that may accumulate after surgery. Typically, drainage is provided through a drainage bulb, which can include a tube that extends into a wound and an external bulb that provides suction to the wound to collect fluid. These drainage bulbs must be supported through clips or tape that secure the bulbs to the patient's clothing or directly to the patient's skin. Further, patients with abdominal binders may secure a drainage bulb beneath the binder. However, the use of tape, pins, and clips can be inconvenient, and securing the drainage bulb beneath an abdominal binder can be uncomfortable. For example, as the drainage bulb begins to fill, the drainage bulb can become relatively bulky and can exert uneven pressure against the patient's skin. In addition, some patients need multiple drainage bulbs, and it may be difficult to secure multiple bulbs beneath a single abdominal binder.
Accordingly, there is a need for abdominal binders that provide improved mechanisms for securing drainage bulbs or other medical devices that may be used post operatively.